1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates in general to boots for horses and, in particular, to a boot held in place by bonding an anchoring liner to the exterior surface of the horse's hoof and then fastening the shell of the boot to the liner.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Horse boots are used to protect the hooves and fetlocks of horses and may be used in lieu of horseshoes. A horse boot typically consists of a shell that includes a sole with opposed flat, top and bottom, major surfaces and an upper that projects upward from the top surface of the sole and forms an enclosure for the hoof of the horse. The upper typically extends along the rim of the sole and has a bottom edge secured to the sole. The top edge of the upper is remote from the sole, either entirely or at least in the front of the shell, and is sometime connected to a cuff that can be tightened around the hoof and pastern of the horse.
In the typical arrangement, the upper and the cuff (if present) are spread open to put the boot on the hoof of the horse. After spreading open the upper and the cuff, the shell is slid over the hoof and the upper is tightened around the hoof to secure the boot in place. Several means for tightening the upper have been used in the art, such as laces, straps, and cables connected to a buckle or other tensioning devices mounted on the tongue. As the buckle is pivoted closed, it pulls on the cable and tightens both front ends of the upper around the hoof.
Such tensioning devices have been improved and perfected to provide variable degrees of tensioning and ranges of adjustment to fit different riding conditions and hoof sizes. However, fitting a boot to a particular hoof remains a challenge because of the variation in size and shape of horses' hooves. Even among horses wearing the same size boot (which is determined by the size of the footprint of the hoof), the shape of the hoof's top portion varies from horse to horse, requiring different degrees of tension to force the upper to adhere to the hoof's surface and firmly secure the boot on the hoof. Furthermore, tensioning devices are subjected to severe mechanical stresses during use, especially during hard riding conditions, and tend to brake. When that happens, the only recourse is a replacement boot, which may or may not be available when the failure occurs.
In order to avoid the complications associated with tensioning devices of prior horse boots, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,189,004 Glass described a simplified configuration of boot that can be affixed simply by screws penetrating the hoof on each side of the lateral walls of the boot. In the form of a slipper with a continuous upper without a rear cup or tongue, the boot is easily put on from the front by slipping it on until the front and side surfaces of the hoof butt against the interior of the boot's upper. The screws are then inserted into the sides of the hoof to secure the boot in place. Foam may be used to seal the edge of the upper around the hoof to keep debris out of the boot.
The screws of the Glass approach provide a simplified and more durable mechanism for securing a horse boot in place; however, it still requires a laborious procedure for putting the boot on and taking it off. In addition, the slipper configuration of the boot allows for a perfect fit when the upper matches well the shape of the hoof, but it does not allow the upper to deform to conform to the hoof when the two are not substantially the same, which is a common recurrence even for same size hooves. This drawback is underscored by Glass's use of foam to fill the cavities resulting from the fit.
In a separate copending application, the present inventor has disclosed a horse boot that is secured to the hoof of the horse only by bonding, without any additional restraining device. The boot is designed for a rapid and durable fit, and for maximum flexibility in conforming to the shape of the hoof. However, this boot cannot be easily removed to allow the horse to be naturally barefoot between workouts. Furthermore, water and moisture can build up inside the boot to cause softening of the hoof and produce several hoof conditions, such as thrush.
In view of the foregoing, the present invention provides a removable boot that combines the advantages of conventional strapped-on boots with those of glued-on boots.